Paul Galbraith

Paul Galbraith is internationally renowned as one of the foremost guitarists of our time. His revolutionary approach to guitar playing has made him an instantly recognizable figure in classical music, but it is ultimately his interpretative breadth which has captivated audiences the world over.

Paul plays a unique 8-string guitar, which he developed in 1993 together with renowned luthier, David Rubio. As a convenient means of differentiating it from the traditional 8-string guitar, Rubio called it the ʻBrahms Guitarʼ, reflecting Rubio's enthusiasm for the way this guitar, with its rich sound and wide range, performed in the music of Brahms, through Paul's transcription and rendition of the Op21a Variations.

On this instrument, Paul has recorded a series of highly acclaimed albums, most famously Bach's complete Solo-violin Sonatas & Partitas, which was nominated for a Grammy Award in 1998.

An individual approach to guitar posture was developed early on when, at age 20, following a period of intense investigation into technique, Paul discovered a playing position which allowed equal freedom of movement for both arms. Within three years, this developed into the cellist's posture he is associated with today.

Paul began concertizing in his late teens, having come to public attention in Great Britain through a series of televised competition successes. Since then, Paul has performed throughout the European Union, as well as in China, South America, Russia, Norway, Australia, Canada and India. From the early nineties onwards, he has toured regularly throughout the USA.

Paul has appeared with several of the major orchestras and ensembles in Britain and Europe, such as: the BBC Orchestras, the Royal Philharmonic, the St Petersburg Quartet, the English Chamber Orchestra, the Halle, the Scottish Chamber Orchestra, the European Chamber Orchestra, the Moscow Chamber Orchestra, and the Shanghai Quartet. Most recently he has formed a duo with legendary Brazilian cellist, Antonio Meneses.